The Adventures of Capricorn
by Capricorn Chaos
Summary: [Complete] Lady Capricorn is second in command at Iselia Ranch, but she's got some problems... annoying inferior beings, nightmares from her past... but her biggest problem is that she has a huge crush on her superior officer...
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Uhh, If you don't recognize it, I probably own it. For now, this counts as Lady Capricorn, but I'll add more as the chapters go on.

.-;; The first chapter is short, I know... but any flames will be used to utterly destory the inferior beings. XD

* * *

"Baka…" a voice said quietly, watching from one of the uppermost windows of the Iselia Ranch's towers. Auburn hair veiled the watcher's eyes, narrowed in irritation.

"What was that, Capricorn?" Forcystus asked, tilting his head from his console to glance at her. She shook her head.

"Nothing, Lord Forcystus." she replied quietly, returning her gaze out the window. Two young humans were talking hurriedly with one of the prisoners through the chain link fence. Snorting quietly, Capricorn excused herself from the room without a word and made her way down quite a few flights of stairs, hand on the hilt of her rapier.

"M'am." one of the soldiers said, straightening his posture and saluting. Capricorn's attention snapped to the trooper.

"Do you have ANY idea at all how pissed off Lord Forcystus is going to be when-" she was cut off by a yell of fury from the flight of stairs above, then almost knocked clean over by Forcystus himself storming down the steps. He stopped, though, and managed to catch Capricorn before she fell more than the backstep she had taken in attempt to regain her balance.

"Excuse me." he said shortly, after making sure she wasn't fall down the stairs. She shook her head to clear it, and moved out of the way, swiftly stepping after Forcystus as he continued his infuriated march to the bottom floor of the ranch.

Bursting out the front door, which opened automatically, they managed to get a glimpse of red leaping off the cliff.

"Damn it!" Forcystus muttered, shaking his head. He then regained his calm demeanor and turned to a soldier. "Check the security cameras."

The soldier hurriedly saluted and managed to say a quiet "Yes sir" before sprinting off the main security room. He came back about a minute later, a piece of paper with an image on it in his hand.

"So…" Forcystus murmured quietly, musing with himself. "A kid named Lloyd." He turned to Capricorn.

"We have an arrangement to have a little chat with the citizens of Iselia." he resolved, turning on his heel and walking back into the ranch's main corridor. Capricorn nodded her head and trotted off after him.

"Rodger that." she whispered, more to herself than the aqua-haired Cardinal. Capricorn's walk slowed as she neared the door of her "room". Quarters would be a more suitable term for the place. A desk with her laptop and other miscellaneous papers strewn across it was near her window, which was currently closed. Far to the back of the room was her bed, which was low to the ground, unlike the normal bunk beds of the whipmasters and other Desians milling about this ranch. She didn't like being too far off the ground, as she had a habit of waking from nightmares in the middle of the night lying on the floor. A little to the right of her bed was a door leading to her shower… being second in command at a Human Ranch had its advantages.

Capricorn was drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of the door sliding open halfway behind her. She didn't turn, but rather flopped down in her armchair that faced out the other of the two windows in her quarters, this one fairly larger than the other.

"Capricorn." She startled slightly, having forgotten about the man standing in her entryway already.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lord Forcystus… I didn't remember you were standing there." She answered quite quickly, turning to face him. A small smile played across his lips at her position, twisted around the side of the chair so she was able to see him.

"Don't worry about that, we're leaving in an hour to head to Iselia. We need to teach those humans to respect when Half-elves make a non-aggression treaty with them." Forcystus cut in as he leaned against the doorframe. Capricorn laughed quietly as she leaned back against her chair. 'Yeah. They just need to learn a lesson or two…'


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: See first chapter... only, Chrisanthy, the Official Desian recorder, is property of my good friend Christy. XD

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As Capricorn awoke, every fiber of her body and mind ached. Her head throbbed before she had even moved it. Her hand flew to her forehead and carefully rubbed it.

"What the hell…?" she mumbled, starting to sit up.

"I wouldn't be doing that just yet." an all-too-familiar voice said quietly from the other side of the room. She groaned and opened her eyes.

Forcystus was sitting in her armchair without his gold-colored plate armor on under his faded red shirt; instead replaced by a clean white bandage around his torso.

"Well, are you going to tell me what happened or not?" Capricorn replied angrily, leaning against the cold metallic wall. Forcystus snorted quietly.

"Those two brats managed to escape thanks to that inferior being they were friends with here." he answered coolly, wincing slightly as he shifted his weight. "Ask Chrisanthy for the details if you must." He paused before muttering a little too loudly, "Damn humans… when I get my hands on those mother f-"

"Forcystus!" Capricorn cut in sharply, making him jump. He blushed profusely before standing up, cringing slightly from the pain in his back.

"Excuse me." He said politely; "Although I may be a Desian, I still must be polite and watch my language around ladies such as yourself." He bowed slightly before quickly excusing himself from the room.

A soft knock followed a few minutes later, and Capricorn simply replied with "enter". The door slid open and the Official Desian Recorder, Chrisanthy, shuffled in, notebook and pencil in hand.

"Lord Capricorn, Lord Forcystus said that you wanted to hear the details about this afternoon." she nearly whispered. Capricorn looked up from her book before placing a bookmark in it and putting it on her nightstand.

"Well, then, have a seat and tell me." she replied, in an unusually placid mood. Chrisanthy nodded and perched herself on the armrest of Capricorn's chair before cracking open her notebook and reading off her notes.

"Before we arrived in Iselia, one of the guards accidentally released the Exsphere on one of the host bodies. You were hit in the process, so Lord Forcystus himself carried you back up here… I don't know if he knows that I jotted that down, though." She paused, took a breath, and then continued. "After that, we went down to the village. The two humans defeated the first of the two remaining mutated host bodies, but the second was actually their "friend". It grabbed Master Forcystus and killed itself, which is why his back is bound now."

Capricorn actually smiled slightly for reasons unknown before picking up her book again and opening it to the last page she had read.

"Thank you, Chrisanthy." She said, pulling out her bookmark. The Desian Recorder nodded and bowed.

"My pleasure, Lord Capricorn."

"Alright, dismissed, Chrisanthy." The Official Desian Recorder left, closing the door silently behind her. Capricorn heaved a sigh, which put a sharp twinge through her ribs before continuing to read.

"the sun will turn to darkness and the moon to blood…" Capricorn fell asleep after reading that line, and her book hit the small rug in front of her bed inaudibly…


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: Same as the first two chapters...  
A/N- I think this is a little longer, but I'm not sure... the first chapters of this are all short. XD If you'd like to read ahead of this, just check out my DeviantART account- the link is in my profile.

MoonCannon- Yes! Thank you. The later chapters are much longer than this, that they are.

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_'A thick mist covered the battleground, but did not do anything to hide the massive amount of bodies piled here and there. Blood stained the terra crimson, as well as the thin blade that the exhausted Half-elf held in her hand. Her hair fell limply down to her waist, caked in blood._

_"It's… over." she sighed, pushing her hair out of her face, flakes of dried blood coming off and falling to the ground. A cracking branch from behind her caused her to whirl around and thrust her rapier forward, jabbing it into the chest cavity of the last human left alive at the moment on the battlefield. They gagged as blood began to pour out of their mouth, before falling lifelessly against the Half-elf's shoulder. She pushed him off onto the ground before wiping the blade off with a rag._

_The plasma on the blade remained, having eternally tainted it.'_

Capricorn sat straight up in her bed and cried out in agony. Her body was covered with a cold sweat from the nightmare she had just woken up from and the sharp pain in her lower ribs. She feverishly glanced about her room before calming herself and sighing.

Her past had been almost straight down the road of a murderer… the Kharlan war had cut her heart in two when it ended. Plies of lifeless elves, Half-elves, and humans alike were strewn across the bloody battlefield.

Shooting pain ran through her back before Capricorn caught a wisp of green go by her face, but it vanished as quickly as it had come. Seconds later, her door slid open and two soldiers stepped quickly into the room, looking at their lady awkwardly. She waved them off, but the jumped out of the way as Forcystus slid into the room.

"Capricorn, are you alright? All I heard was-"

"I'm fine, just another one of my nightmares."

"You sure?" he inquired again, sitting quietly in the chair next to her bed. A slight smile flickered across Capricorn's face.

"Yeah, but if you'd bring me a glass of vodka I'd be content to sleep for another hour or so." She laughed lightly, trying not to make her fractured rib hurt. Forcystus smiled and picked a glass off a counter and filled it half up with vodka. He handed it to her and turned to leave.

"Sleep well, Capricorn." he nearly whispered, making it hard for Capricorn to make out what he had said. She nodded and swallowed a gulp of the liquor before placing the glass on her nightstand and squirming down under her comforter.

The next morning Capricorn was just walking out of her room with her rapier strapped to her belt when a whipmaster cautiously approached her.

"Umm, my lord, are you sure that it's a good idea for you to leave your room?" he asked nervously, shuffling his feet slightly. She tilted her head to look at him.

"I'll be alright. I'm just going for a walk." she replied, walking swiftly past him and down a long hallway. She reached an uncluttered hall with an open ceiling, which let the sunlight shine in.

The sound of a sword unsheathing behind her brought her out of her momentary thoughts. She spun around on her heel and saw Forcystus leaning against a pillar with a sword in his hand… his arm cannon, however, wasn't on his left forearm. She raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Engarde?" Forcystus asked, stepping out of the shadows and swinging the sword around flashily. She pulled out her rapier and bowed slightly.

Capricorn lunged forward towards Forcystus, who blocked her blow. He swung at her, which she dodged easily. They continued their game until it became somewhat like a waltz; swing, miss, block, dodge, parry, swing. It continued for a while until, with a spark erupting from the two blades as they collided, Capricorn held her blade against Forcystus' neck, whose sword was pointed directly at her stomach.

"Touché." she replied, eyes boring into his. He snorted.

"What is it about your past that haunts you so, Capricorn?" he asked, voice soft and somewhat comforting. "One who has nightmares bad enough to wake up screaming must have some memento weighing down their shoulders." Capricorn looked away as her eyes began to sting from tears.

"I… I…" she couldn't seem to get the words out, and she felt something slide down her cheek. Glancing up at Forcystus, she saw his eyes were wide with shock at what he had just done to the woman before him.

"Oh… it's one of those memories… that goes too deep for anything at all to heal, isn't it?" he said quietly, letting his blade fall to the ground with a loud clatter. Capricorn looked up at him. He found himself reaching out to brush the tears brimming in her eyes away from her face.

"As a young teenager in the Kharlan war, I slaughtered thousands of beings… elves and humans alike." she started, gulping quietly. Forcystus' hand touched her cheek, making her choke on her tears.

"You don't have to tell me." he cut in, not wanting to hurt her anymore than he already had. She shook her head, and started to continue, but found herself unable to.

Forcystus instinctively stiffened as Capricorn suddenly buried herself into his chest, sobbing quietly.

"Ah…" he said delicately, lightly touching the back of her head. "I see now…"


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer- Hasn't changed...

"**Reviewer**"- Glad you like it! And yes, I'm posting them up in intervals on here, but they're put on as soon as I finish writing them for DevART. The formatting is also different there, so the chapters will probably look longer. XD  
"**argh**"- Well, that's your opinion. My pen name came from my zodiac sign and a randomly chosen added word. Just because the character's name is half of my pen name, doesn't mean that she's a Mary Sue. o0;; I'm not even going to get into an arguement on this.

* * *

A flutter of wings made the two Half-elves look up, just in time to see a pair of birds fly in through the open window. One was a bright red, and the other was a dull mahogany.

"Hmm… a pair of cardinals. How fitting." Forcystus muttered under his breath. He listened carefully for a second, and hearing no noise from Capricorn, pried her off his chest.

The birds glided down from someplace near the ceiling. The vivid crimson bird flitted down onto Forcystus' shoulder, whilst the other landed on Capricorn's. Capricorn reached out a hand to gently stroke the bird's plumage, which resulted in a quiet croon from the creature.

Suddenly, Forcystus whirled around just after the bird on his shoulder took flight, barely in time to see the door behind him slide open. He narrowed his eye as another Half-elf walked in. Forcystus growled quietly before addressing the Grand Cardinal.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in my Ranch, Pronyma?" he snapped, letting the small scarlet bird re-land on his wrist. She laughed before taking a couple steps forward.

"Lord Yggdrasil would like your 'friend' to visit Triet. He says that he suspects the Renegades are up to something again. She's to leave immediately." Pronyma's mouth curled into a smirk as Capricorn glared at her.

"Why send her? Can't he just send one of his damn henchmen?" Forcystus replied heatedly. Capricorn was about to start grating her teeth in irritation.

'Why send me into Triet…?' she thought, extremely uneasy for once. She shifted her weight uncomfortably. Pronyma's smirk grew as she retorted Forcystus' remark.

"What, you don't want your '_girlfriend_' to leave you?" she said maliciously, trying to hold back a laugh. Forcystus snarled and lunged forward, making Pronyma step backwards in a slight panic. Capricorn grabbed the back of his shirt before he could do any damage.

"I'll go." Capricorn said, almost uncertainly. Pronyma nearly heaved a sigh of relief as Forcystus stopped and turned around.

"What…?" he asked, head tilted to the side. Capricorn shook her head.

"I don't believe that that's the real reason he's sending me to Triet, but I'll go." she replied, turning to leave. She picked up her rapier off the ground and walked briskly out the door.

"Capricorn…?" a voice called from the other side of her door. She looked up from her book as the door slid open. Forcystus was leaning in the doorway.

"You don't really want to go to Triet, do you?" he asked, fiddling with a piece of paper in his hands. She shook her head.

"No, but if it keeps Pronyma off your back…" she started. Forcystus snorted.

"Keep her off my back? It's not her, it's Lord Yggdrasil." he responded slowly, dropping the folded paper onto her desk. He looked up.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow, and you'll be staying for a week once you get there. Take one of the dragons from the stables, if you'd like. Otherwise, let me know so I can request the Iubaris to be summoned here." he turned to leave. "Be careful, Capricorn." he said quietly, shutting the door after him.

Capricorn sighed heavily, shutting her book. Why was this trip bugging her so? She'd been around the world, but never once had she actually been nervous about going to a small town like Triet. She carefully picked up the paper on her desk.

Perhaps tomorrow would bring a resolution.


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer- See previous chapters.

**MoonCannon**- Why, thank you!

* * *

Capricorn was just tightening the girth of the saddle on a dragon's back when rapid footsteps came from behind her. She glanced up to see Chrisanthy running towards her.

"Lord Capricorn!" she said, out of breath but bowing nonetheless. Capricorn motioned for her to stand up straight.

"What is it?" she asked, earnestly curious as to how she had known she was leaving this early in the morning. Chrisanthy pulled a parcel out of her bag and handed it to her.

"This is for you," she started, "it explains everything inside. I was told not to reveal anything else about it, though. Capricorn nodded.

"But who…?" Chrisanthy smiled.

"That's what else I can't tell you. Have a nice trip, Lord Capricorn!" she bowed again and trotted off down a hallway. Capricorn looked at the package and shrugged before putting it into the saddlebag and swinging up onto the dragon's back. This dragon, however, was a smaller size, more like the Velocidragons that roamed the plains near Asgard, save for the fact that it had four legs and a pair of huge leathery wings. She nudged its side and it comfortably loped down the stable alleyway and out into the dewy morning light.

She pressed her heel slightly harder against the dragon, letting it break into a gallop before leaping off the cliff and taking flight. Capricorn had loved flying. A distant memory of her childhood reminded her that at one point in her life, she had enjoyed watching the winged reptiles around her home fly about during summer… but she could never remember where her hometown, or even home, was.

The people of Iselia were just starting to wake up as she looped around to fly past the upper tower of the Ranch. Tightening her grip on the reins, she leaned forward and whistled to the dragon. Its wings beat harder, and she was soon on her way to the desert town of Triet. Luckily for her, her home and her destination were on the same continent.

As Triet came into view about an hour later, she easily let the dragon land and trotted into the town. She had had to cover the lower half of her face earlier during a sandstorm, so now she looked very much like a bandit.

The townspeople looked on in fear as Capricorn quietly conversed with three of the whipmasters standing near a bulletin board, before she dismounted and handed one of them the reins. They took the dragon back towards the oasis as Capricorn continued to talk with the other two Desians.

"Lord Capricorn, the human that escaped us at Iselia was captured by the Renegades. He's currently being imprisoned in their base east of here." on said, saluting. Capricorn nodded.

"They'll let him go. It's not like them to keep a prisoner unless they have some significance to them." the two whipmasters nodded and saluted before running off after their comrade. Capricorn pulled the cloth over her face off and turned around, in the process walking straight into a tall man that had been behind her.

"Excuse me," she muttered, taking a step to the side to let him pass. She heard a chuckle and looked up, smiling as she realized who she had run into.

"I haven't seen you in a long time, Yuan." she started, nodding to the blue-haired Half-elf. He smiled as well.

"Not since the Great Kharlan War, I would presume, Capricorn."

"It's been that long?" she asked, scratching the back of her head. He nodded.

"So, how goes life in Iselia?" he replied instead, falling into step alongside her. She shrugged.

"Ah, the usual. Lord Yggdrasil sent me out here, but I've yet to figure out why…" Yuan paused his stride and glanced at her.

"Capricorn, you don't remember very much about your past, do you?" he asked quietly, folding his arms across his chest. She shook her head sadly and sighed.

"Much of what I remember is just the Kharlan War, Yuan. I can't even remember my own parents. Everything just seems to have… disappeared." Yuan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you have reservations in the inn for your stay? If so, I can tell you what I remember of your past. Your childhood, your family… we were nearly inseparable at one time, remember." Capricorn smiled.

"How could I ever forget? Hell, we even fought side by side with Martel, Kratos, and Lord Yggdrasil in the Kharlan War." They walked into the inn and entered Capricorn's room, where much to her surprise, her saddlebag and a familiar face were waiting.

"Chrisanthy?" she asked, head tilted to the side. She smiled.

"Lord Forcystus wanted me to come and note the activities of the inhabitants of this area, since he believes that the troopers stationed here aren't doing the best job." She brandished her notebook and pencil, making Capricorn laugh. Yuan and Chrisanthy both looked at her strangely.

"What?" she asked, glancing at both of them. Yuan shook his head and then brushed his hair back out of his eyes.

"Anyway, have a seat… Miss Chrisanthy here may stay, yes?" he said, gesturing to the Desian Recorder. Capricorn nodded and flopped onto her bed. Yuan seated himself across the room, and after folding his arms, began to talk.

"Capricorn… you were born here in Triet.

At a young age, your parents abandoned you… that's when Martel and I found you on our way through here. A few years later, when the Kharlan War started, you fought alongside us, the Four Seraphim.

Once the war ended, however, you could no longer return to Triet… you were plagued by nightmares every night, and constantly had a fever. Kratos and I were beginning to resent letting you fight with us… you were too young to have had to deal with the reminder of slaughtering thousands of beings.

However, you finally regained your health, but you no longer remembered anything of your parents or homeland. Your could only remember the time you spent with us, so we gave you a position at the Iselia Ranch… as close as we could keep you to home.

Forcystus did not argue being given a second in command, and it looked like he needed the help anyways. You soon took root there and became pretty comfortable, and over time you've grown to know and love both the Ranch itself and the Cardinal that rules over it." Yuan stopped, and the only sound left in the room was Chrisanthy writing quickly in her notebook.

"Now, as I understand it, Miss Chrisanthy gave you a package early this morning?" he said, glancing at her. She nodded.

Capricorn picked the parcel out of her bag and carefully untied the string keeping it closed.


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer- WAHAHAHA! a.k.a.- Check previous chapters.

**MoonCannon**- Thank you, again! ..yeah, the chapters look a lot shorter than they really are because of the formatting of the pages. Most of these chapters are at or over three pages.

* * *

"Now," Yuan started, picking a kirima off the table next to him and cutting it open. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment before continuing his sentence. "Linkite leaves supposedly have the ability to… bring back large pieces of important memories when burned. A friend did some research for me and he proved this correct. Maybe you'd like to try?"

Capricorn stared at the leaf in her hand before carefully holding it over a lit candle. A thin silver smoke rose from the leaf before curling around her wrist. Capricorn's eyes widened as a picture began to form inside her mind…

_A younger Capricorn was sitting on the back of a young dragon, much like the one she had ridden into Triet. She was decked out in armor, and a rapier was hanging at her side. She turned as Yuan called her name._

_"Capricorn! We're heading for the Holy Ground of Kharlan! Hurry up and get over here!" Capricorn trotted over to her friends; Kratos Aurion, the only human among them, Mithos Yggdrasill, their young "leader", Yuan, and then Martel. Yuan and Kratos were also wearing armor to some extent, but Mithos and Martel were just wearing their normal clothing. Capricorn shrugged as she fell into line next to Yuan._

_"Capricorn," he started to say, turning to look at her, "You're like a little sister to me. I hope you know that we may not make it through this war." She nodded, and Yuan returned to his conversation with Martel._

_A voice from her other side stirred her out of her thoughts._

_"Excuse me… do you mind if I ride next to you?" She turned to see a teenager who looked a year or two older than her… maybe twenty at his oldest, sitting atop a dragon. She nodded._

_"Sure, you're welcome to ride with us." Yuan replied from behind her. The boy smiled. He had shoulder length sea-green hair that cow licked out in some places in the back, and stunning red eyes. He fell into step beside her._

_The two teens talked for the entire ride, and eventually Yuan had fallen asleep leaning across the gap between him and Martel, leaning on her shoulder. Capricorn looked ahead of them as their militia stopped. Yuan awoke and looked out across the land ahead of them._

_It was a flat plain, with traps and other things for war set across it. They could see the faint outline of the opposing force on the far side of the battleground-to-be._

_"I'm Capricorn." she said suddenly, turning to the boy next to her. She pulled a charm of Aionis off her necklace and handed it to him. He stared at her as he took it carefully in his hand._

_"Keep this so that if I see you again, I'll know who you are." she said, smiling. He shook his head._

_"I can't take this… it's yours." he replied. She pushed his hand away._

_"I want you to have it. That way, I'll know that it's you. It's made of Aionis, so you don't have to worry about it breaking." He looked at it before clipping it to a chain around his neck and tucking it under his shirt._

_"My name…" he said quietly, pondering whether he should respond, "Is Forcystus. Nice to meet you, Capricorn."_

Capricorn jumped as Yuan laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You should read the note he left you in there. I must be going, I have an appointment somewhere. I'll see you tomorrow, Capricorn." He left, leaving Capricorn sitting in her room. Chrisanthy was lying on a bed on the other side of the room, sound asleep.

"Damn… it has to be pretty late now…" she mumbled, unfolding the piece of paper. She smiled as she recognized Forcystus' script, neatly written but pleasing to the eye.

Capricorn,

I know it'll be late when you get this, but please, just follow these directions as soon as possible. I'd like you to head to the Linkite tree in an enclosed place in the mountains. It isn't reachable unless you fly over the mountains, so take the dragon you left with.

Forcystus

Capricorn finished the note and picked up the small parcel underneath it. She began to unwrap it. Inside was a small charm, delicately carved out of Aonis. She put it on the table and took off out the door, sprinting to the dragon stables. She grabbed her bridle and didn't bother saddling up, but rather hopped on bareback and took off out the door.

Upon reaching the tree, she quickly dismounted. Capricorn walked over to it and laid a hand on the bark, before flopping down onto her back in a large patch of lush emerald grass and staring at the stars.

She laid there for what seemed like hours before she heard footsteps. She looked to her side as Yuan rode quietly up to the tree.

"Capricorn," he started, pulling on the reins, "Whatever you do down whatever path you choose in your lifetime, don't do anything that you'd ever regret doing later. I know numerous people that could never forgive me if I allowed you to do something like that. You're still like my little sister, remember, even though you've grown up. Don't you ever forget that, alright?" Capricorn nodded and Yuan left, as quickly and silently as he had come.

Capricorn heaved a sigh and looked to the stars again, only to be interrupted by the sound of someone approaching. This time, she looked up to see Forcystus standing above her.

"'Ello, there." she said. He smiled before sitting down next to her.

"Nice night for the middle of the desert." he commented lazily, leaning back onto his elbows. She noted that he must have left his arm cannon at home, because she could see the long scar running down his arm from his elbow to his wrist. She nodded and looked up yet again.

"I hadn't realized you still had that charm from the Great Kharlan War, Forcystus." she commented, eyes watching the lights above flicker every now and then. He shrugged.

"You said for me to keep it until we met again." he replied, now also looking up. She laughed.

"It took almost seven Chosens for you to realize that it was me, didn't it?"

"No, it's just that you wouldn't have gotten it until I discovered that the smoke of a Linkite tree helps bring back crucial memories." A small zephyr blew through for a moment, rattling the nuts on the tree. A huge golden bird soared past before disappearing over a mountaintop.

Forcystus heaved a deep sigh and let himself fall back onto the ground, arms folded carefully across his chest. Capricorn yawned and stretched before closing her eyes and dozing off.

The moon moved from behind a cloud, however, and managed to wake Capricorn up. Forcystus stifled a laugh for a moment before sniggering.

"I guess you can't sleep for more than five minutes when you're not home, eh?" he said, smiling. She cracked a grin and pushed her hair out of her eyes before rolling onto her side and sitting up.

"You… might be right, Forcystus." she replied, rubbing her eyes. Forcystus watched her quietly for a second before slowly reaching his hand up to her cheek. She looked down and slowly grasped his wrist with two of her fingers, looking at a long scar that ran down his arm from his wrist to just below his elbow.

Forcystus shrugged ever so slightly and pried Capricorn's fingers off his wrist before wrapping his arm around her neck.

The stars were beautiful that night.


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer- Shiru belongs to my buddy Ryu, Chrisanthy belongs to my other buddy Christy, Capricorn belongs to me, and everyone else belongs to Namco. XP

**MoonCannon**- Yes, action is up ahead. :D

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Capricorn awoke the next day to the sound of a bird chirping quietly by her head. She opened her eyes to realize she was back in the hotel room in Triet, and Chrisanthy was sitting at the table in the middle of the room scribbling away in her journal. The source of the chirping was a small bird perched on the windowsill next to her bed. 

Capricorn grumbled tiredly as she sat up, yawning and stretching slightly. Chrisanthy looked up from her journal.

"Good afternoon, Miss Capricorn." she said cheerily, shutting her notebook and smiling lightly. Capricorn tipped her head to the side.

"After… noon?" she asked, slightly dazed from sitting up so quickly. Chrisanthy nodded. Capricorn rubbed her head and pushed her hair out of her eyes before looking at Chrisanthy again. "Well, Christy, you weren't talking to yourself as you were writing this time, it's a nice improvement."

Chrisanthy blushed and looked down. "I didn't want to wake you… you were up really late last night." Capricorn merely shrugged.

"No worries, I don't mind being waken." she replied. The bird chirped loudly and flitted to Capricorn's shoulder. "I guess I have a way with birds," she muttered quietly, stroking the russet plumage on the creature's tiny chest. It began to croon softly from its perch on her shoulder, unafraid of the tall Half-elf.

"Oh, Miss Capricorn, Lord Yggdrasill left a message at the Ranch and we just got it here; we get to go back home in a couple days!" Capricorn smiled at Chrisanthy's enthusiasm.

"That sounds good… the desert isn't doing anything great for my hair." she joked, laughing quietly as to not scare the bird away. It gave a happy chirp anyways and fluttered over to the table, then back out the window.

"Well, what are we going to do today?" Chrisanthy asked, "I mean, we're not just going to stay inside all day, right, Miss Capricorn?" Capricorn laughed again and shook her head.

"Of course not, Christy. We'll probably go for a ride or just browse the shops today." she replied, a smile playing on her lips. The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

The two Half-elves were talking later that night as they walked down the road before they heard someone call out.

"Help! That house…" A resounding roar spread across the town as a lick of flame tinged the skyline. The color drained from Capricorn's face. In an instant, two whipmasters were standing next to their fellow Desians.

"A Half-elf family lives in that house…" one commented, eyes wide. Capricorn looked from side to side.

"Let me guess, they need to save water so they won't put the fire out?" Capricorn asked, checking her Ex Sphere. Hers was a speed Ex Sphere, which brought out her true speed in combat.

A Half-elf woman ran over to them, face streaked with tears.

"My son is in there!" she whimpered, eyes wide with fright, "he's only about six…"

Capricorn pulled off her cloak and handed it to Chrisanthy as the four Half-elves ran towards the house.

"Lord Capricorn, you can't go in there!" she said, aghast. Capricorn shook her head.

"I won't let one of our own kind die in there!" she snarled, dodging past a few humans and sprinting through the doorway, which collapsed behind her.

Smoke billowed throughout the house. Capricorn covered her face with her arm as she quickly advanced, flames scorching her leg as she rounded a corner. She gritted her teeth and instead called out in the angelic tongue, something that she had taken up in her free time back home. A weak sob answered her, somewhere in the next "room".

Capricorn whirled around as she reached an opening and quickly found the child, huddled in a corner that hadn't caught fire yet. She scooped him up in her arms.

"Kid," she said quietly, jumping out of the way as another beam fell from the ceiling, "You have to hold onto me, or I'll drop you." The child nodded and wrapped his arms around her neck, clinging for dear life.

"Crap…" Capricorn muttered as she looked around. The beam that had just fallen had blocked her only exit. Looking around again and trying to keep her head, she finally spotted a window… an unbroken window.

"Alright kid, this is our only chance. Whatever you do, don't move, alright?" The child nodded again and clung tighter as Capricorn sprinted towards the window. Turning at almost the last minute, she thrust her back into it and broke it before hitting the ground outside and rolling over, making sure that the child suffered no damage.

Chrisanthy and the two Desians ran over, all out of breath. Capricorn carefully let the child out of her arms and watched him run to his mother, who was close behind.

"Miss Capricorn, you're burned…" Chrisanthy commented, starting to fret over her superior officer. Capricorn scoffed.

"Whatever. It doesn't hu-" she gagged as she stood up, nearly collapsing onto the whipmaster next to her. He caught her and helped her back up. The other looked at her leg for a moment, before whispering something to Chrisanthy. She nodded and ran over to the dragon stables, coming back in a few minutes with Capricorn's dragon fully tacked. The two whipmasters carefully hoisted Capricorn into the saddle, and Chrisanthy handed Capricorn her cloak.

"What the hell, I don't need to lifted into my own damn saddle!" she nearly roared, as Chrisanthy slapped the dragon's behind. It took flight and turned towards home.

"Well, it doesn't matter!" Chrisanthy called back. Capricorn growled from the saddle and took hold of the reins, mumbling to herself as the dragon picked up speed and raced back home.

Finally arriving there, Capricorn slid off the saddle and landed, soaked from the rainstorm that was raging at the moment. She shuddered and made her way to the door before punching in the key code.

The door slid open before she could finish, though, and Forcystus grabbed her and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her.

"What the hell…" she muttered, shivering again. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped her limp to her quarters. She winced as a twinge of pain flew through her leg. Forcystus stopped and looked at her.

"You always get yourself into the worst troubles…" he said, glancing at her leg, "and now you're staining my floor with blood." he sounded like he was joking, but Capricorn couldn't be quite sure. Forcystus sighed and carefully lifted his second-in-command into his arms before nearly sprinting down the hallway.

Capricorn could only growl. She hated being treated like a baby.

Upon reaching her room, Forcystus carefully laid her onto her bed, before turning and leaving. She heard him stop and converse quietly with two other people before her door slid open again and two Half-elves, who she guessed were "doctors" walked in.

"Alright, let's get started." one of them said as he pulled a very long needle out of his bag. He put the hypodermic into a vial of a light blue liquid and drew some into the small chamber of the needle before pulling it out. He advanced on Capricorn before carefully sticking the hypodermic into her arm and putting the fluid into her system.

Capricorn already felt herself slowing down as the other Half-elf pulled a stool up next to her and took out a pair of tweezers and a scalpel from her bag. Capricorn growled and tried to move, but the doctor simply gave her another dose of the liquid. She felt herself slipping as she slowly lost consciousness.

When she awoke, she twisted her body up in pain, resulting in a yell from the doctor behind her. The other surgeon advanced on her again, brandishing the needle. He stopped in his tracks as Forcystus barreled into the room.

His mahogany eye narrowed as he noticed the hypodermic in the surgeon's hand.

"Don't you dare give her another shot of that." he snapped, nearly pushing the doctor over and he made his way over to Capricorn, who was now quaking uneasily.

"Capricorn…" he said quietly, shaking his head as he looked at her. He crouched down next to her bed and put his hand on the back of her skull.

He leaned his forehead into hers. "Why do you have to be so heroic?" he asked, teeth gritted in frustration. He didn't know what to say or do, having never been in this situation before.

His thoughts were interrupted by a gasp from the surgeon behind them.

"Oh my… Master Forcystus, you might want to look at this…" she said now fingering the tweezers nervously. Forcystus moved over and looked at the back of Capricorn's leg, where a huge chunk of glass was deeply imbedded in her muscle.

"I can get it out," the doctor started quickly, "But I need her to stay still, and seeing as we can't give her anymore narcotic without killing her… this might take a long time." Forcystus looked worried for a second before nodding slowly.

"Sorry about this, Capricorn…" he said quietly as he sat down next to her. She looked over at him.

"What?" she asked, eyebrow raised. He shook his head.

"Capricorn, would you stay still if the doctor had to take a piece of glass out of your leg?" he asked nervously, hoping for the right answer.

"Well, it would depend on how big it was." she replied. Forcystus put his fingers about three and a half inches apart and winced as Capricorn's face paled.

"Alright, then.. I'm sorry…" he muttered. Before she could open her mouth to respond, Forcystus pinned her down and nodded to the doctor. Capricorn struggled underneath him, trying to break free of his grip.

A scream echoed throughout the Ranch as the surgeon pulled the shard out of her leg.

Forcystus' face saddened as he carefully wrapped his arm around her, wanting so badly to soothe her but unable to do so… her eyes were shut and she was whimpering in agony.

The doctor quickly wrapped thelaceration and fastenedthe bandagebefore standing and leaving, taking her things and the other surgeon with her.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered, finally standing and walking to the door, "I'm sorry…"

Maybe tomorrow would be better…

The next morning Capricorn awoke to see one of her friends, Shiru, sitting in the armchair by the window.

"What the crap…" Capricorn mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her forehead. She glanced at Shiru. "Did Chrisanthy get back yet?" Her fellow Half-elf shrugged.

"I don't know, I've been in here since three this morning." Shiru yawned and then stretched before hopping out of the chair and heading for the door.

"Where're you going?" Capricorn snapped, slightly angry that her friend would just hop up and leave. Shiru turned to her and put her hand on her hip.

"I'm going to get breakfast. I haven't left this room in hours, you know." Shiru replied heatedly, turning on her heel. Capricorn scoffed. Just because Capricorn was only one rank higher than Shiru, it seemed that she could get away with anything…

Capricorn yawned and fell back onto her pillow, gingerly moving her leg a bit. It didn't hurt. Maybe she'd be able to get up today.

Of course, when a six foot tall Half-elf is blocking your door, it's hard to leave.


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer- See previos chapters. XP I'm getting tired of writing this...

**MoonCannon**- Once again, thanks a lot for your review.. glad you like it!

* * *

Capricorn merely growled.

"Come on, lemme just go out for a little bit," she pleaded to the tall Half-elf. Forcystus shook his head, aqua locks falling into his face.

"You're not going anywhere until you let your leg heal. I can't have my second in command limping around my Ranch." he replied stonily, stepping forward and making her back up. She looked at him, being about five inches shorter than him, and scoffed.

"Fine. But I'll be outside tomorrow." she shot at him as he left. Capricorn nearly punched the wall in frustration. She didn't know if her friend was all right, and she wasn't even sure if the child she had saved had suffered any damage.

She heaved a heavy sigh and flopped into her armchair, slowly calming down as she breathed in the familiar smell of leather that came with the chair. Reaching over to her desk, she opened one of the drawers and pulled out a bottle of vodka, poured herself a glass, and swallowed it in one gulp.

"You really need to watch how much you drink, Capricorn," a voice said from her doorway. Capricorn scowled.

"Whatever. I don't drink that much anyways, Shiru." she replied, pouring another glass. Shiru snatched the bottle from her desk and screwed the top back on, turning to go with it.

"Well, I guess I'll bring this to Master Forcystus and let him hang onto it for a while… he won't be very happy to find out that his second in command has a nearly full bottle of alcohol in her desk." Shiru commented leisurely as she strolled out the door. Capricorn sighed again.

"It's the only thing that takes away the pain…" she mumbled, and after hearing Shiru's footsteps pause in the hallway, began to brood again.

"Why the hell do I always end up sitting here drinking?" she murmured to herself, grabbing her book off her desk. She stared at the cover for a moment, pondering something.

"What do I see in this book…? I've read it over and over, but somehow I can't figure out why I like it so…" Capricorn shrugged and opened it, picking up where she left off last.

Her eyes scanned the lines as she normally did, looking for some meaning in their words. As usual, she found nothing, and just continued her reading.

The words finally brought her solace and sleep.

A few hours later, Capricorn woke up, glanced out the window, and frowned. It was only about five, judging from the sunset behind the shield of trees. Hesitantly stretching her leg again, she hopped out of her chair and went to open her door.

"Wha…?" she asked sleepily, seeing Shiru and Chrisanthy standing there. Chrisanthy smiled.

"We thought you'd might like to go down to the kitchen for a cup of tea or coffee or something." she replied, grabbing one of Capricorn's arms. Shiru grabbed the other.

"Yeah, we decided that we don't want Forcystus keeping you cooped up in your room for eternity, anyways!" she chirped, now pulling both of her friends down the hallway.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Chrisanthy grabbed three mugs out of a cupboard and placed them in front of her friends, before flopping into a chair next to Capricorn. Shiru grabbed a pot of coffee and poured it into her glass, then grabbed a kettle of tea for Chrisanthy and Capricorn.

"So, do you have anything to say, Shiru?" Capricorn muttered, sipping at her tea. Shiru shook her head.

"Now, why would I hand in a bottle of whatever you had?" she replied airily, waving her hand about. Capricorn merely shrugged.

"Well… never mind- Christy, what in Martel's name are you writing?" she commented, distracted by the Desian Recorder's sudden flurry of pencil movements.

"Well," she started, still scribbling away, "You see, there's this Half-elf. And while he is out one day, he finds a bunch of humans. So, he heroically saves the day by-"

"I get it, Christy." Capricorn interrupted, smiling. Chrisanthy puffed up.

"Yeah, and AFTER THAT, he goes back home and tells the story to his village, and then they-" Chrisanthy began to wave her pencil around, which made Capricorn duck a few times to avoid the sharp point.

Shiru ducked behind Capricorn's back laughing as Chrisanthy continued her flourishing movements of her pencil, once again nearly hitting the second in command in the eye.

"Christy!" Capricorn mock whined, stealthily grabbing her journal, "Put the pencil down, and get the journal back." she stated, holding it up triumphantly. Chrisanthy stared at it for a moment.

"All right, gimme my journal back." she replied, snatching it from Capricorn's loose grasp. She laughed before leaning back leisurely on her stool, carefully balancing it on two legs. She sipped at her tea again, staring at the ceiling.

"Say, Christy, was that kid okay? You know, the one that was in that house?" Capricorn suddenly asked, sitting straight up in her stool and nearly tipping over.

"Well, yeah. The town doctor looked him over and didn't find anything, at least." she replied, finally putting the pencil down, "You should be so worried, Miss Capricorn." she added, smiling lightly at her superior officer Capricorn heaved a sigh and let the stool rest on all four legs before quickly swallowing the rest of her tea and pushing the stool away from the counter. She stood up.

"Cap, where're you going?" Shiru asked, now leaning back to watch her open the kitchen door, "You shouldn't be walking around the Ranch, Forcystus might find you and lock you in your room." she joked, taking a small gulp of her coffee. Capricorn shrugged.

"I'm going for a walk." she replied quietly, stepping through the door.

"Where!" Shiru called after her. The door swung back and forth on the dual hinges, typical of a kitchen door. Capricorn's footsteps stopped, and her voice answered a few seconds later.

"Anywhere, Shiru, anywhere."


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer- Once again, see previous chapters. XP

**MoonCannon**- Yesyes, I can't stand how short these are... >.0 The last few are longer, if I remember correctly.

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Capricorn quickly stopped by her room as she passed it, grabbing her rapier from her desk and strapping it to her belt. Skipping a step to take a little weight off her leg, she left her quarters and proceeded to make her way down the hallway, passing a few soldiers here and there on the night shift for guard duty.

Punching the key code into a couple doors as she reached them, Capricorn finally stepped out into the night air, which was crisp and clear. Autumn was her favorite of the seasons for this reason, even though snow never usually fell in the warm region of Iselia.

Capricorn watched a few of the soldiers by the gate sitting around a small campfire, some lying there lazily, others playing cards. They seemed so comfortable, just sitting in their friend's company. She noted that one of them was actually sleeping, although the guard next to him was wide awake and dealing out cards for another game of poker.

Capricorn turned and walked through a small archway, which led to a special courtyard that only high-ranked officers could enter. She settled down on a stone bench next to a small pond; apparently the other officers had bugged Forcystus enough to make him put a fishpond in.

The fish seemed accustomed to Capricorn's presence and swam up to the edge, gills moving silkily back and forth in the shimmering water. She noted that these fish weren't native Sylvarrant breeds; rather, they were from the northern regions of Tethe'alla.

"I thought I asked you to stay in your room…" a soft voice commented from behind Capricorn. She jumped, having not expected anyone else to be here.

"Don't look at me…" she murmured, fingering the hilt of her rapier. She sensed the Half-elf behind her heave a silent sigh. She stood up and stepped to the side so she could lean against a stone pillar, cool and rigid against her back.

Forcystus stepped out from where he had been and looked up into the night sky, aqua hair brushed back from his face for once. Capricorn crossed her arms over her chest and watched her from the corner of her eye, hair veiling her face.

"You know, I've been wondering," Forcystus suddenly started to say, "What ever happened to that kid who has the Exsphere we want?" Capricorn looked up at him, watching his eye carefully, which was seemingly mesmerized in counting the stars. She shrugged in reply.

"I haven't the slightest clue… although I heard from a couple of my friends that he and his friends went through their Ranches." she replied, eyes now focused on the ground. Why was she suddenly so uptight? She almost felt… felt as if someone with wayward intentions was watching her.

Forcystus looked down at her for a moment, eyebrow raised the slightest bit. He could see that she was tense, and it was bothering him.

"Capricorn, what-" he was quiet for a second, still irritated as to why she was so tense.

Forcystus was about to open his mouth again when Capricorn turned to him. He paused, head tilted oddly at her. Before he could continue his interrogating, he had to catch his balance as Capricorn's weight fell against him, jaw locked with his.

"So, if it isn't the two _lovebirds_…" a voice scowled from somewhere nearby. Forcystus pulled his head back and narrowed his eye, obviously seeing something that Capricorn couldn't.

"Pronyma, get your damn ass out of my Ranch…!" he growled threateningly as the 5th Cardinal reclined lazily on the low roof.

"Go to hell, Forcystus!" she replied curtly, playing with a piece of her hair. Forcystus jumped backwards and leaped up to the roof, barely missing Pronyma's head with his arm cannon.

"Take that back!" he roared, endlessly bombarding her with his wind attacks and mana charges from his cannon.

"Make me!" she replied heatedly, blasting him with one of her own attacks, causing him to slide backwards.

Capricorn was about to follow when someone grabbed her arm. Turning, she smiled to see Shiru standing behind her.

"I don't know why, but I just feel that Pronyma has been trying to tick Forcystus off… it's endless." she muttered, pulling herself up onto the roof.

"Leonazuim!" Pronyma screeched, hitting Forcystus with full force.

"Air Blade!" he shot back, slicing her across the shoulder. She laughed.

"I see your aim hasn't improved," she mocked, placing her hand on her hip.

"Shut up!" he yelled, releasing another mana charge from his cannon.

It was an endless hue of magic and mana being blown back and forth as Shiru jumped up next to Capricorn, crouching down.

"What's up with them? I mean, I never liked Pronyma, but why are they fighting it out so heartlessly?" Shiru asked, scratching her head. Capricorn shrugged, eyes darting back and forth from Cardinal to Cardinal.

"Obviously something from his past." she replied, leaning on the hilt of her blade. She narrowed her eyes as Pronyma suddenly stopped.

"Well, I see you've yet to return your Cruxis Crystal to its rightful owner." she sneered, lifting her hand to start another spell, "Bloody La-" she couldn't finish before Capricorn screamed something incoherently, words from another language pouring out of her mouth.

"Capricorn…" Shiru muttered, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. Capricorn paused and turned to Shiru.

"We can't have either of them dying, as much as I hate Pronyma." she replied, jumping up, "Pronyma, get out of here." she growled, slowly advancing on the female Cardinal. Pronyma let out a haughty laugh.

"Fine, then." she replied, taking a step back and disappearing in a wisp of obsidian smoke.

Forcystus rubbed his head, dazed from being hit so many times with Pronyma's attacks. He looked up at Capricorn and Shiru standing near the edge of the roof.

"Dismissed, Shiru…" he muttered, waving his hand. Shiru looked slightly offended, but nodded and hopped off the roof, landing quietly on the ground. The Cardinal turned towards Capricorn.

"Dare I ask why you're looking at me like that?" she asked, re-sheathing her rapier. Forcystus shook his head.

"Well, there's… something you should know, Capricorn," he started, flipping open a small cover on his arm cannon. He quickly punched in a code, and the cannon easily slid off his arm, revealing his scar and Exsphere. "Would you show me your Exsphere?" he asked, walking over to her. She pulled a glove off her hand, revealing her Cruxis Crystal, although it was not a perfect sphere.

"Why do you want to see it?" she asked curiously, flipping her hand over. Forcystus heaved a sigh.

"Your Exsphere… it's not a full one, am I correct?" he asked. Capricorn nodded in reply. "Do you know why?" he added, fingering his own.

"I know that soon after I received it, it was split in two during a fight." she shook her head. "I've yet to find the other half."

"That's because," Forcystus started, turning his own hand over to look at the crystal, "I have it."


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer- Capricorn belongs to meh, Shiru and Raishin belong to my buddy Ryu, and Chrisanthy belongs to my buddy Christy. Everything else is owned by Namco.

**MoonCannon**- Yeah, I had to take some stuff from this chapter to make it three pages... but the last chapter is coming up, and that's about 6 1/2 pages long. I'm working on an Epilouge now, but it's still imcomplete...

_A/N- Yes, this is the last chapter. BUT, I'm posting up the Finale right after this... I'm still in the works, but I'm also writing an Epilouge as well, so stay tuned for the ending. XD_

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Capricorn's head automatically tilted to the side in curiosity.

"Wait, what?" she asked, looking down to the back of her hand. Forcystus shook his head.

"I was young, maybe only a few years older than you at the time. I was on my way from my village in Iselia forest, heading for another Half-elf town nearby. Upon reaching the village entrance, I was surprised to see that Lord Yuan and Martel were there, conversing with the village Elder."

Forcystus paused for a moment, brow furrowed in mild thought.

"After speaking with them, I learned of you and your condition while you were living in Triet. Lord Yuan told me about the Ranch that Lord Yggdrasill was building in this area, and asked me if I would like to be the one to rule over it.

Of course, my own village had once been attacked and nearly wiped out by humans, so I jumped at the opportunity to be able to do that. Lord Yuan simply nodded in reply and gave me the second half of your Cruxis Crystal, explaining that it was impossible to piece it back together without accidentally killing you."

"So that's why…" Capricorn muttered, slowly shaking her head. Forcystus looked up.

"What was that?" he asked, distractedly watching a few birds flutter from tree to tree in the distance, looking for a place to rest for the night. Capricorn startled slightly.

"Umm, nothing." she answered, fingering the hilt of her rapier anxiously. Forcystus took a slightly hesitant step forward.

"No, it's not nothing." he said softly, noticing the restless look in her eyes, "What's wrong?"

"It's just that… it all makes sense now." she paused for a moment. "The result of you having my Exsphere… but I thought it only happened in fairytales…?" she let her arm fall to her side.

"Martel used to tell me stories when I was little, back before the War. They were always filled with some sort of happy feeling… I remember one story involved two people that shared an Exsphere." she began, her hand now running through her hair, "The shared Exsphere caused them to become attracted to each other, although their differences were many.

"Don't you see?" she asked, eyes changing from unease to something along the lines of loneliness, "That's why I can't help but love you!"

Capricorn stopped, eyes wide, and clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Did I just…?" she muttered, staring at the ground. No answer. She instead heard footsteps quietly approach. Looking up, she jumped slightly as the sight of Forcystus standing right next to her met her eyes.

"You know," he said softly, holding out his hand, "It doesn't matter what you said." Capricorn raised an inquiring eyebrow at him, but sheepishly took his hand anyway.

_"Here, Capricorn." Yuan said cheerily, handing a sheathed weapon to the young Half-elf, "I just got this for you as proof that you've learned how to properly use it."_

_Capricorn carefully took the weapon from her friend's hand and slowly unsheathed it, the silver blade glinting in the sunlight._

"_Thank you, Yuan!" she cried, giving him a fierce hug. He had to gasp for breath for a moment before replying._

"_Don't mention it, Capricorn." he replied, prying her off him, "Just don't forget, no matter where you end up, you'll always be like my little sister."_

"Capricorn, you awake?" Forcystus' voice stirred her out of her thoughts.

"Uhh, yeah." she replied. She shook her head to fully wake herself up before realizing that they must have moved back off the roof, because she was now sitting on the stone bench by the pond.

"Well, Capricorn… there's been something I've been meaning to ask you…" Forcystus started, tearing his eyes away and staring into the pond.

"Yes…?" she asked, looking at him curiously. He continued to focus his gaze on the fish.

"Well, everybody knows that all Half-elves exude mana, correct?" he said, a slight zephyr ruffling his hair. Capricorn nodded. "Well, within the last couple of days, every time I've been near you, I've- well, the mana level has increased, to be blunt. You know, that can only mean two things… either you've been granted wings by Cruxis, or you're-"

Shiru, who had been seated just outside the courtyard, jumped as she heard their conversation. What? There was no possible way that… unless…

"Something the matter, Shiru?" an all to familiar voice asked. She looked up and smiled as she recognized Raishin, the second in command of the Palmacosta ranch. Behind him was Chrisanthy, who, although she was yawning, had her journal and pencil in the crook of her arm.

"How do you stay up so late?" she asked, yawning again and rubbing her eyes. Shiru laughed softly.

"It's amazing what coffee can do for you." she replied, grabbing Raishin's hand as he helped her up, "Tea has the same effect to some extent, though, Christy."

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Raishin asked keenly, looking awkwardly at his friend. Shiru shrugged.

"I was out here with Capricorn, but she's having a… conversation with someone, so I was just waiting for her to finish." she replied, rubbing the back of her head. Raishin looked at her questioningly, but Shiru shook her head, and her took that for an answer.

"Alright, let's get going… it's too late for you two to be wandering around outside, anyway." he said suddenly, looking up from the ground, "You should get some sleep. There's rumor that the two that attacked your guards a while ago are back in the area, and considering they've already tried to go after the other Cardinals…"

Shiru jumped at his words and grabbed Christy, pulling her through the doorway.

"Okay, see you later, then, Raishin…" she muttered, shutting the door behind her. He nodded and folded his arms across his chest before turning and going another way, entering the Ranch through a side door and heading towards the guest quarters.

He'd be staying here for the night.


	11. The Finale

_The Finale_

Early the next morning, the sun had barely risen over the tree line. Its first beams, as pesky as ever, filtered their way through a slightly open window and right onto Capricorn's closed eyes. Mumbling something profane under her breath, she rolled over before sitting up on her bed.

"What time is it…?" she yawned, reaching for her alarm clock, which had (yet again) failed to wake her. 6:37. "Damn…" she muttered sleepily, running a hand through her messy hair. She hopped off her bed and checked her laptop for any messages before strolling over to her dresser and pulling out a sleeveless shirt and a baggy pair of black pants.

After taking her shower, Capricorn quickly got dressed, ran her brush through her now unruly hair, and grabbed her rapier off her desk. She strapped the weapon to her belt, pausing only to pull on her boots, before she opened the door and headed down the hallway.

"Morning." she muttered to a nearby soldier, quickly pushing the key code into the door. After three unsuccessful attempts, the door slid open and Capricorn continued her morning walk.

"Good morning, Miss Capricorn!" Christy chirped as Capricorn finally walked into the mess hall, "Master Forcystus told me to tell you that he'd be overseeing the minor repairs on the Mana Reactor this morning, so if you need to find him, that's where he'll be." Capricorn nodded in response.

"Thanks, Christy." she said, picking out her mug from a cluster on a table and filling it with tea or some sort. She took a long gulp and turned to Chrisanthy.

"Oh, by the way, is Shiru up yet?" she asked, seating herself at a nearby table, "I'd like to ask her a question or two today." Chrisanthy shook her head, chocolate hair falling out of her loose ponytail and into her eyes.

"No, she's up, but she left a little while ago to go on a walk in the forest with Lord Raishin of the Palmacosta Ranch." she replied matter-of-factly, hurriedly shoving the tendrils of hair out of her face.

"Alright," Capricorn started, quickly downing the last of her tea, "I'll catch her later, then. Right now I've got to go see Master Forcystus." She stood, placing her mug on the dish rack. "I'll be back later, Christy… make sure you tell Shiru that I wanted to talk to her, m'kay?"

The Official Desian recorder gave an enthusiastic nod as Capricorn turned and left.

"Ooooh! I hope she gets back soon…" Christy muttered, fingering the eraser on the end of her pencil, "She's been gone for _hours_ …"

The hallways were empty as Capricorn headed towards the Mana Reactor, the large system that kept most of the Ranch running. She hated having to walk all the way to this end of the Ranch, but she couldn't help it if the Reactor was down here.

Upon reaching the last hallway, she looked down to see one of the guards knocked out cold. Quickly crouching next to him, she pulled off his helmet and examined the cut on his forehead. Finally determining that it would heal and he'd be all right, she leaped up and took off down the hallway, directly towards the Reactor.

"Not… good…" she panted as she finally reached the now open door of the Reactor, almost out of breath. She slowed to a brisk walk, carefully stepped onto the warp ring, and punched in the key code.

Once her destination had been reached, she turned on her heel to see what lay before at the Reactor.

Two of the guards that had been stationed there, lay unconscious on the floor, weapons kicked across the room. In the center of the room stood the utterly rebellious Forcystus, aiming a mana charge at the rapidly approaching teenager.

Forcystus let out a cry of fury as the teen smacked him in the stomach with the hilt of his blade. He staggered backwards, crimson eye blazing.

"What the hell…?" Capricorn muttered, unsheathing her rapier in the dead silence that ensued. The teen turned in time to get knocked to the ground by a sharp thrust of air.

"Lloyd!" a different visitor shouted. Their long blonde hair was all over the place.

"Get out of here!" Forcystus growled across the room, taking another step backwards to finally regain his balance, "Now!" Capricorn jumped as Kratos appeared at her side.

"I trusted you," she said bluntly, glaring at him, "You brought them with you, didn't you?" Kratos merely nodded in reply.

"I'm sorry Capricorn," he said quietly, taking a step away from her, "Just listen to your heart. That's the last thing I shall tell you."

Capricorn took off down the center of the chamber, disregarding the frequent shouts of her superior to get out of there. She slid to a halt next to him before crouching down by his side.

"Capricorn, get out of here, now!" he growled fiercely, shrugging her hand off his shoulder, "I swear, if you don't leave now…" She ignored him and jumped up as Lloyd came back for another attack, aiming for her throat.

"You'll have to be quicker than that to catch me!" she said almost gleefully, easily stepping to the side to dodge his attacks.

"She's too fast…" Lloyd panted, leaning on one of his swords for a moment, "She uses a rapier, so she has less weight to move around than me…"

"Less weight?" a man with long reddish-orange hair mocked his companion jokingly, "That cool beauty could probably run circles around you, Lloyd!"

"Lloyd! Go after Forcystus!" Kratos barked from his position, "I'll take her!"

Capricorn glanced feverishly from side to side as she slowly backed up, Kratos slowly advancing on her, sword drawn. She cast a forlorn look at Forcystus, who was struggling to get up whilst Lloyd advanced on him.

"_I trusted you_ …" she growled, suddenly standing her ground, "And what respect I had had for you when you were teaching me how to use a sword… it's gone now, Kratos. It's gone."

Capricorn leaped past Kratos and sprinted as fast as she could. Lloyd had already reached the Half-elf, though, and had actually kicked him in the ribs. _Kicked him_.

"If you touch her…" he growled at Lloyd, a trickle of crimson running from the edge of his mouth as a sickening crack resounded throughout the room, "I swear I'll…"

"No!" she bellowed, sliding to a halt as he staggered to a standing position. He slipped backwards in a small pool of his own blood and fell backwards into the Reactor itself.

"Capricorn!" Kratos shouted as she leaped forward, past Lloyd and the others standing around. Her breathing was starting to become ragged and heavy, characteristic of her when she was beginning to wear down.

Capricorn, too, sprang off the edge of the Reactor after him, ignoring the shouts of the startled mix of humans and Half-elves behind her.

It seemed endless…

How could anyone survive a fall like this?

Alas, the fall was not as deep as she thought it was while she was in the air, but she was sure that Forcystus would be either dead or fading fast once she hit bottom… not something good for her to do in her state.

Finally landing with a large shock through her knees, she managed to stay standing, though barely. Her first thought was to look around for Forcystus, although he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Damnit!" she growled, stretching her legs to relieve the tension in her knees, "He must have headed out, then…" she mumbled, searching around on the floor for a sign of which direction he could have taken.

Crimson streaks. They stained the floor along a certain path, which Capricorn began to follow. Left, right, straight, left, left, straight, right… She was beginning to feel dizzy from turning so many corners when she finally reached a hallway she recognized.

She was right near the main entrance of the Ranch, and the trail turned right _towards_ the entrance. She picked up her walk again and quickly made her way in that direction, following the scarlet streaks on the tiled floor.

"And glory to the coming Age of Half-elves, and that of Lord Yggdrasill!"

That had been his voice, no matter how strained it had sounded. She raced around a corner just in time to watch Lloyd, the human from earlier, pull his blade out of Forcystus' chest.

"No!" she nearly screamed, leaping forward and catching the Cardinal as he collapsed backwards. She hit her knees under his weight, gritting her teeth in ire and disdain.

"I thought I said… get out of here." Forcystus coughed. Blood ran down his neck, flowing freely from the corner of his mouth and the wound on his chest. Capricorn managed to prop him against a nearby wall, his blood mingled with a salty tear that was running down her cheek.

"You have no idea," she growled, slowly rising from her position and advancing on Lloyd, "How much it hurts to have someone you love killed right before your eyes, do you?" Her voice began to rise in rage. "Can you answer that, Lloyd Irving? _Have you ever had someone's life taken right from your hands_?"

Capricorn paused, clenching her fist so tightlythat her knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"This… this is the second time I've ever lost someone I loved. I would think that Kratos would know better than to let this happen again to an old friend." she added, glaring at the Seraphim. "Martel… she was like an older sister to me, and yet she died right in front of my eyes, and I couldn't even do anything… Yuan couldn't do anything, Mithos couldn't do anything…"

Silence settled on the courtyard, except for the sound of hacking coughs from Forcystus every now and then.

"Capricorn." Kratos started, taking a step forward, "Martel was… it was an accident. We had no idea that she'd be killed. But, Forcystus fought back. He knew he'd die, and he was fighting for everyone in that Ranch. Would you throw all that away?"

Capricorn growled in response, unsheathing her rapier. She ignored Kratos' words for the time being, and turned to Lloyd.

"You, Lloyd Irving!" she roared, pointing the tip of her blade at him, "I swear I shall avenge-" She was interrupted by Forcystus' winded voice from behind her.

"Get out of here!" he snapped, startling her, "I don't want to see you killed as well, take Christy and Shiru and get out of here!" Capricorn shook her head.

"I'm not letting what you've done die with you." she replied slowly, turning to face him. "Protecting that entire village of Half-elves? Working tirelessly to try to bring about the Age of Half-elves?" she paused, deciding it was best to stop for a moment.

"Just get out of here. Listen to him." Kratos said quietly, gripping Lloyd's shoulder tightly to keep him from going after her. Capricorn looked from Kratos to Lloyd.

"I see the resemblance." she muttered, stepping backwards. She knelt down next to the wounded hero and tore a long strip of cloth from her shoulder clock, carefully wrapping it around the laceration in his chest.

"You're just going to let them leave?" Lloyd yelled, throwing his hands into the air, "After all they've done to Iselia and the villages around here?" Kratos shook his head.

"Some things are better off not questioned, Lloyd." he said quietly, absently looking at the ground. He eyed the small communicator sitting nearby. 'Oh, Martel, please let that device not be on right now…' he thought, knowing that Yuan was on the other end. It would hurt him too much to know that the one he considered his little sister would willingly give up her life with a split second decision…

Capricorn managed to get his arm around her shoulder after quickly punching in the key code on his arm cannon.

"This should make you a little lighter," she muttered, finally able to lift him up. She made her way backwards into the entranceway, and managed to close the door behind her.

"Capricorn!" Shiru yelped, running towards her friend. She looked from Forcystus to Capricorn quickly. "What-"

"It doesn't matter right now," she said, cutting her off, "Just find Christy and tell her to spread the word of a Discontinue." Receiving an odd look from Shiru, Capricorn quickly explained.

"A Discontinue is when Christy spreads the word for everybody to disband and leave the Ranch for a year or so. If they haven't been able to find a place where they can fit in by then, then they can just come back and we'd all stay here, keeping a low profile so we don't attract attention to ourselves."

Shiru nodded and turned on her heel, making for Christy's quarters. Capricorn, on the other hand, pulled Forcystus down a side hallway that led straight to the dragon stables. She leaned him against the wall for a moment as she opened a stall and grabbed the halter of her favorite beast.

It was a hybrid, a perfectly combined mixed species. Most people would look at it and say it was a Velocidragon, but it was anything but that. That particular species of dragon was predominant on its blood, though, giving it the basic form and the color of one, but this dragon had four legs. Although, it was lacking wings.

This dragon had been Capricorn's companion for some time, and she wasn't just going to leave it here.

"Come on, boy…" she growled, quickly throwing the blanket and saddle onto the creature's back. It tossed its head in slight exasperation, but she swiftly put the bit into its mouth. A creature like this needed something that she'd be able to control it with.

Capricorn managed to get Forcystus into the saddle, with help from the dragon, and soon had hopped up in front of him. Lightly nudging the dragon in the sides, it took off at a fast "gallop" out the door and into the forest.

She nearly felt sick once as the heavy scent of plasma reached her nose, the same crimson liquid soaking through the back of her shirt as Forcystus sat there, slowly losing conciousness.

"Don't die on me..." she growled quietly.

Darkness would soon fall….

_About One Year Later…_

"Shiru!" Christ cried from the top of the gate, perched up there with her journal and pencil in hand, "Open the gate! Open the gate!"

Shiru reluctantly handed a small child to Raishin, who had been standing behind her, and quickly punched in the key code for the gates. They creaked open, having not been used in so long.

"Who is it, anyway, Christy?" Shiru called up, shading her eyes from the bright summer sun. Christy smiled broadly from her position.

"Shiru…!" She turned upon hearing her name, and her jaw fell slightly agape as she was caught off guard by a strong hug.

"Capricorn!" she chirped, happy to see her friend once more, "Did he-" Before Shiru could finish questioning about Forcystus, she was answered by a light tap to the shoulder.

"Hello, there." he said cheerily, his head tilted to the side. Shiru was about to say something when she was interrupted by a squeal from a small child sitting in Forcystus' arms.

"Oh, yes," Capricorn started, a toothy grin spreading across her face, "This is Rose."

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_Fin_

_A/N- NO! It's NOT over! Keep watching this for the Epilouge when I get it out!_


	12. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Umm. I own Capricorn, and Chosen One Rise owns Rose, but that's just about it.

**MoonCannon**: Thank you very much for all your reviews... so here's the last chapter!

**'Reviewer'**: That's alright, at least I know that you like it.

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Epilogue

The red light from a setting sun gently fell over the quiet landscape, tinting everything with a lovely crimson hue. The area was silent, save for the quiet humming of a tall Half-elf, who was making her way down a well-beaten path.

"My final dream continues on…" she kept up an easy-paced walk, humming the rest of the tune.

"Mom!" an all-too-familiar voice called out from up ahead. The Half-elf looked up, smiling at the sight of her daughter sitting on the back of a Velocidragon, which was nosing around in the grass around the path.

Rose was about eighteen, with short-cut hair the same hue of her father's. In some places, it cow licked out much like his as well, although she had inherited neither of their personalities.

"What is it, Rose?" she asked, leaning against a tree. The former second-in-command may have been quite old now, but she was still in good shape for her age.

"Dad wanted to know where you went off to, that's all." she replied, shifting awkwardly in the saddle, "He gets worried when you go off without leaving a note or something"

Capricorn looked oddly at her daughter. She knew that there was most likely another part to the story, because Rose was normally outspoken and almost… "evil" sometimes. She ignored it for the time being and heaved a sigh.

"I was just heading home anyways. I'll be there within ten minutes, so go tell your father to stop worrying about me." she replied, picking up her walk again, "I had just gone to visit an old friend of mine."

Rose shrugged.

"Always going to visit your 'old friends', aren't you, mom? I mean, this entire week you've been out and about, visiting your friends." Rose threw her hands up in the air to emphasize her point, but a bad action on her part.

Capricorn stared at her daughter for a moment more before walking past her and down a side path.

"I think I'll have to continue this later." she snapped, pausing, "When you get home I think I'm going to talk to your father about comments like that…"

Rose heaved an enormous sigh. Her mother's stories bored her to death sometimes, unless they involved both humans _and_ Half-elves. If there was one thing in the world that she hated beyond belief, it was humans. The thought of living in a world of disgusting beings like them sickened her.

Inferior beings.

The phrase echoed in her head as she, too, headed towards home. In every one of her mother and father's books that she had flipped through, they had been labeled just that. Inferior beings.

Rose shuddered at the thought. How could two respectable Half-elves like the former rulers of the Iselia Human Ranch just drop their crusade against humans?

"Rose, dinner!" Forcystus called up the stairs, hoping that his daughter had not fallen asleep while reading again. He couldn't figure out why she was so interested in his old books, but no one else had read them in over five years, so what harm could it do?

The young Half-elf nearly flew down the stairs at the call of dinner, eager to eat so she could continue her reading. She hoped that her parents weren't aware that she was reading all of the books involving human cruelty to Half-elves, almost "researching" so she would have a vast knowledge on the subject.

Rose sat down at the table and wolfed down a few bites of food before Capricorn touched her shoulder.

"Rose, you're going to choke…" she said, sighing at her daughter's speedy ingestion. She paused and swallowed what was in her mouth before speaking.

"Ummm, I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but-" she paused again, trying to word the question correctly. "Why do Half-elves still live in the same world as humans if all they've done to us is discriminate against us? Shouldn't us Half-elves just take them out and create a world for ourselves?"

Capricorn dropped her fork.

"…Have you been thinking about this the entire time that you've been reading?" Forcystus asked, staring blankly at the table, "Every time you read one of our books?" Rose nodded slowly.

"T-that…" Capricorn stumbled on her words, still staring at her daughter. Could she really have that much hatred towards humans? She had never even been in contact with a human, so how could she have any idea what she was talking about? She slammed her fist on the table, accidentally cutting the side of her hand on a knife.

"Rose, that's not for you to say. While we worked as Desians, your father and I strived to create an Age of Half-elves. Do you want to know something, Rose? It didn't work. It took over three hundred years for us all to realize that by enslaving humans at the Ranch, they became more and more angry with us." she paused to let the words sink in.

"But that doesn't change the fact that they still hate us!" Rose exclaimed, looking from her mother to her father, "Every time I read a story from one of those books, I drips with the moral that humans hate Half-elves, and have for centuries!"

"That was over thirty years ago!" Forcystus nearly yelled, staring down his daughter, "Your generation has no reason to worry about what happened between humans and Half-elves in the past! You haven't had to deal with what we have, Rose! The entire village that I grew up in was nearly slaughtered because one of the residents had killed a human that lived in a nearby town! _We started some of it, Rose_."

The hotheaded Half-elf jumped up from her seat and took off up the stairs. A slamming sound echoed through the house a moment later, signifying that she had undoubtedly locked herself in her room.

"Let her calm down." Capricorn said soothingly, gently toughing Forcystus' arm. He paused, staring out the window at a small bird of the brightest red.

"It seems that cardinals always flock to you, Capricorn." he said quietly, opening the window to let the bird hop in. Capricorn bent down to scoop the bird up into her hands.

"Hmmm…" Forcystus mused for a moment before leaning over Capricorn's shoulder. "I didn't know that you had a pair of wings tattooed on your lower back," he muttered, listening to the bird croon comfortably in her hands. She jumped slightly.

"Oh, that?" she asked, letting the creature flit out of her hands and out the window, "I was hoping that you wouldn't notice that." she partially explained, "I was a companion of the Four Seraphim, and therefore-"

Capricorn extended her hand and let a familiar ring of intricate, pale green appear on the ground before a flash of light emitted and glassy wings of olive protruded from her back.

"…" Forcystus mouth was slightly agape.

"And _how_ long have you had those?" he asked, fingering the tip of one of her wings. She shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know, something around three thousand years, maybe…?" she replied, twitching slightly. Forcystus heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. He headed for the stairs, but Capricorn gently grabbed his shoulder.

"Let her be," she started as she turned and opened a cabinet, grabbing a strip of cloth and wrapping it around her mildly bleeding hand, "Just talk to her in the morning."

Passing him on the stairs and quietly opening the door to their room, she looked down the stairs at him, smiling slightly. The glass-like wings on her back had disappeared.

"I'll see you in the morning." she yawned, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. Forcystus thought for a few more minutes, and soon followed her up the stairs as well.

Rose listened intently for the sounds of her parent's door closing, and then made her move. Grabbing her traveling cloak off her desk chair, as well as her large pack, she quietly stole from her room and down the stairs, skipping the one squeaking step as she went.

Rose paused as she passed through the living room, where her mother's red-tinted rapier was hanging on the wall. Dust had recently begun settling on it, as Capricorn refused to touch the bloodstained blade any more.

She threw her cloak over her shoulders and silently stepped into the small stable in their backyard, which housed three Velocidragons, ideal for traveling. She tacked a note to a post near the door, hauled the bag onto the animal's back, and then swung herself into the saddle.

Rose looked at the house for a moment, then gently kicked the dragon into a trot, quickly making her way down the forested road, heading for the abandoned Iselia Ranch to the north…

_Mom and Dad,_

_After thinking for a while, I decided to finally leave. Please don't come after me, I'm going to try to chase my ideals. Someday maybe I'll come back to you both._

_Rose_


End file.
